Through its six-season run, classic HBO drama The Sopranos featured several unexpected cameos from real life celebrities. These included: director Jon Favreau, actor Ben Kingsley, and most hilariously: New York Jets head coach Eric “Man-genius” Mangini.
Of all the celebrity cameos on The Sopranos, however, none hit quite as hard as actress Annette Bening’s brief appearance in the season 5 episode “The Test Dream.” Bening, who is one of the most accomplished performers of her era, kindly stopped by to film a couple of scenes for the 20-minute dream sequence that Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) experiences for much of the episode’s runtime. It’s such a bold, out of left field casting decision that even nearly 20 years later it still stands out.
Bening talked about filming the episode with The Daily Beast in 2020, saying:
“I received the episode out of nowhere, and read it, and thought, ‘Wow—this is fantastic,...
Of all the celebrity cameos on The Sopranos, however, none hit quite as hard as actress Annette Bening’s brief appearance in the season 5 episode “The Test Dream.” Bening, who is one of the most accomplished performers of her era, kindly stopped by to film a couple of scenes for the 20-minute dream sequence that Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) experiences for much of the episode’s runtime. It’s such a bold, out of left field casting decision that even nearly 20 years later it still stands out.
Bening talked about filming the episode with The Daily Beast in 2020, saying:
“I received the episode out of nowhere, and read it, and thought, ‘Wow—this is fantastic,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Nick Vallelonga, the writer, producer and actor whose work on Universal’s Green Book brought him a pair of Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, has signed with Independent Artist Group for representation.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film co-written by Vallelonga was inspired by the true story of his father, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-nosed nightclub bouncer who took a job as the driver and bodyguard for celebrated pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) during the 1960s, cultivating an unexpected bond with the eccentric musical genius while on tour with him through the racially charged Deep South.
Released in November 2018 after world premiering at TIFF, where it won the People’s Choice Award, the DreamWorks title grossed more than $321M worldwide.
Vallelonga is fresh off success with international sales at AFM for his new film That’s Amore, a rom-com that he wrote...
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film co-written by Vallelonga was inspired by the true story of his father, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-nosed nightclub bouncer who took a job as the driver and bodyguard for celebrated pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) during the 1960s, cultivating an unexpected bond with the eccentric musical genius while on tour with him through the racially charged Deep South.
Released in November 2018 after world premiering at TIFF, where it won the People’s Choice Award, the DreamWorks title grossed more than $321M worldwide.
Vallelonga is fresh off success with international sales at AFM for his new film That’s Amore, a rom-com that he wrote...
- 11/1/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)
Since I started this column, I've spotlighted several times where the Academy Awards completely nailed a category, such as Best Actor at the 1994 Oscars or Best Picture at the 1976 ceremony. It's extremely rare for the Oscars to go five for five with their slate of nominees. Most often, they are a mixed bag, featuring a couple of more-than-worthy contenders and a couple who shouldn't be anywhere near the word "best." We have become accustomed to the uneven nature of the categories, and typically, we know that the people we want to win end up losing to the people we don't think should have even been nominated.
We rag on the Oscars for their selections, but they don't make it a habit of...
Since I started this column, I've spotlighted several times where the Academy Awards completely nailed a category, such as Best Actor at the 1994 Oscars or Best Picture at the 1976 ceremony. It's extremely rare for the Oscars to go five for five with their slate of nominees. Most often, they are a mixed bag, featuring a couple of more-than-worthy contenders and a couple who shouldn't be anywhere near the word "best." We have become accustomed to the uneven nature of the categories, and typically, we know that the people we want to win end up losing to the people we don't think should have even been nominated.
We rag on the Oscars for their selections, but they don't make it a habit of...
- 9/3/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
John Travolta (Grease) and Katherine Heigl (Firefly Lane) have boarded the rom-com That’s Amore!, written and to be directed by two-time Academy Award winner Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), with Christopher Walken (Severance) also in talks to star.
The film heading into production in August follows Nick Venere (Travolta), who is a modern-day ‘Marty’ – he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words ‘I love you” and figures he never will. Patty Amore (Heigl) has her share of problems, as well. Shy and introverted, she’s filled with various tics and nervous habits. A secret from her past, combined with her over-protective father, have caused her to withdraw from the dating game. But when Nick and Patty meet, literally bumping into one another, they share an immediate connection. When these two emotionally damaged people attempt to date one another,...
The film heading into production in August follows Nick Venere (Travolta), who is a modern-day ‘Marty’ – he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words ‘I love you” and figures he never will. Patty Amore (Heigl) has her share of problems, as well. Shy and introverted, she’s filled with various tics and nervous habits. A secret from her past, combined with her over-protective father, have caused her to withdraw from the dating game. But when Nick and Patty meet, literally bumping into one another, they share an immediate connection. When these two emotionally damaged people attempt to date one another,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The cause of death for Frank Vallelonga Jr., an actor who appeared in “Green Book” and “The Sopranos,” has been revealed.
Last November, police responded to a 3:50 a.m. call reporting that a body had been dumped outside of a factory near 1243 Oak Point Ave in the Bronx. The man, who was later identified as Vallelonga Jr., was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD. He was 60.
Steven Smith, 35, has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse.
Also Read:
Al Jaffee, Mastermind of the Mad Magazine ‘Fold-In’ Comic, Dies at 102
According to the New York Post and the Daily News, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday concluded in its autopsy report that Vallelonga Jr “died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.”
TheWrap has reached out to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to confirm.
Last November, police responded to a 3:50 a.m. call reporting that a body had been dumped outside of a factory near 1243 Oak Point Ave in the Bronx. The man, who was later identified as Vallelonga Jr., was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD. He was 60.
Steven Smith, 35, has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse.
Also Read:
Al Jaffee, Mastermind of the Mad Magazine ‘Fold-In’ Comic, Dies at 102
According to the New York Post and the Daily News, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday concluded in its autopsy report that Vallelonga Jr “died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.”
TheWrap has reached out to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to confirm.
- 4/11/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Monica Villarreal has joined Anonymous Content’s talent division as a manager and producer. She will be based out of both the company’s New York and Los Angeles offices.
From Chicago, born to Mexican and Mexican-American parents, Villarreal started her career in the talent department at WME in New York before moving to Authentic Talent & Literary Management, ultimately working her way up the ranks to talent manager and eventually partner.
Her client list includes Emmy-nominated actress Moses Ingram, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Celeste O’Connor, Sasha Calle (The Flash), Shaunette Renée Wilson, Miles Robbins, Yadira Guevara Prip, and Sea Shimooka (The Three-Body Problem), among others.
“Monica is a formidable advocate for racial equity, meaningful representation, and intersectionality within entertainment and more importantly our society at large. Her passion for depth...
From Chicago, born to Mexican and Mexican-American parents, Villarreal started her career in the talent department at WME in New York before moving to Authentic Talent & Literary Management, ultimately working her way up the ranks to talent manager and eventually partner.
Her client list includes Emmy-nominated actress Moses Ingram, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Celeste O’Connor, Sasha Calle (The Flash), Shaunette Renée Wilson, Miles Robbins, Yadira Guevara Prip, and Sea Shimooka (The Three-Body Problem), among others.
“Monica is a formidable advocate for racial equity, meaningful representation, and intersectionality within entertainment and more importantly our society at large. Her passion for depth...
- 2/14/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
As society evolves, moments in films that were once beloved can start to sour in history’s proverbial rear-view mirror. When Sandy (Olivia Newton John) revamps her entire look and personality to please her boyfriend Danny (John Travolta) at the end of Grease (1978), for example. Or when the cartoon crows in Disney’s animated classic Dumbo are literally called “The Jim Crows”.
Even plenty of Academy Award-winning movies have not aged particularly well. As the 94th Academy Awards approach this Sunday (27 March), here are 10 Oscar-winning films that are problematic in 2021.
Green Book (2018)
When Green Book, which won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, arrived in cinemas a few years back, it quickly became a divisive topic of conversation. The picture, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, enjoyed early success with audiences and sailed through awards season, but critics lambasted it as being shortsighted in its depiction of race relations.
Even plenty of Academy Award-winning movies have not aged particularly well. As the 94th Academy Awards approach this Sunday (27 March), here are 10 Oscar-winning films that are problematic in 2021.
Green Book (2018)
When Green Book, which won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, arrived in cinemas a few years back, it quickly became a divisive topic of conversation. The picture, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, enjoyed early success with audiences and sailed through awards season, but critics lambasted it as being shortsighted in its depiction of race relations.
- 1/27/2023
- by Rachel Brodsky
- The Independent - Film
Frank Vallelonga Jr., who appeared in the Best Picture winner Green Book, was found dead this week outside of a factory in the Bronx. He was 60.
According to police, “Upon arrival, police observed an unidentified adult male, unconscious and unresponsive, on the ground at the location…The male had no obvious signs of trauma observed. Ems responded to the location and pronounced the male deceased at the scene. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.” An individual was arrested for concealing the actor’s corpse.
In a statement, Vallelonga Jr.’s manager said, “This is a sad and completely shocking tragedy…Frank was a great guy, father, brother, actor and friend. He will be missed terribly.” Vallelonga Jr.’s family cited November 28th as the day of the actor’s death.
Frank Vallelonga Jr.’s father, also known as Tony Lip, was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in Green Book,...
According to police, “Upon arrival, police observed an unidentified adult male, unconscious and unresponsive, on the ground at the location…The male had no obvious signs of trauma observed. Ems responded to the location and pronounced the male deceased at the scene. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.” An individual was arrested for concealing the actor’s corpse.
In a statement, Vallelonga Jr.’s manager said, “This is a sad and completely shocking tragedy…Frank was a great guy, father, brother, actor and friend. He will be missed terribly.” Vallelonga Jr.’s family cited November 28th as the day of the actor’s death.
Frank Vallelonga Jr.’s father, also known as Tony Lip, was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in Green Book,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Green Book actor Frank Vallelonga Jr has died aged 60.
On Thursday (1 December), the New York Police Department identified a body found dumped in the Bronx, New York as belonging to the actor.
Vallelonga Jr was best known for his role in the 2018 film, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019.
He portrayed a relative of Viggo Mortensen’s character, bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga. The actor was the son of the real-life bouncer depicted in the movie.
Confirming his death, the actor’s representative said in a statement (via Fox News): “I’m very sad to confirm Frank’s death. It’s a terrible tragedy. He was an incredible guy and a great actor.”
On Monday (29 November), the NYPD responded to a call about an unconscious and unresponsive male. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the police, the body showed “no obvious signs of trauma...
On Thursday (1 December), the New York Police Department identified a body found dumped in the Bronx, New York as belonging to the actor.
Vallelonga Jr was best known for his role in the 2018 film, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019.
He portrayed a relative of Viggo Mortensen’s character, bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga. The actor was the son of the real-life bouncer depicted in the movie.
Confirming his death, the actor’s representative said in a statement (via Fox News): “I’m very sad to confirm Frank’s death. It’s a terrible tragedy. He was an incredible guy and a great actor.”
On Monday (29 November), the NYPD responded to a call about an unconscious and unresponsive male. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the police, the body showed “no obvious signs of trauma...
- 12/1/2022
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - Film
A body dumped outside of a Bronx sheet-metal manufacturing factory on Monday, November 28 has been identified as 60-year-old actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. Vallelonga Jr. was known for playing a relative of Viggo Mortensen‘s character in the Oscar-winning Green Book. The film was based on Vallelonga Jr.’s father, Frank Vallelonga Sr. (known by his stage name Tony Lip) and written by his brother, Nick Vallelonga. NYPD responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious male left outside 1243 Oak Point Avenue in The Bronx on November 28. When officers arrived at the scene, the man was unresponsive, per Deadline. Ems pronounced the male dead at the scene and an investigation into the exact cause of death is still ongoing. A 35-year-old man named Steven Smith has been charged with concealment of a human corpse for dumping the actor’s body. According to TMZ, Smith told NYPD authorities that Vallelonga Jr. died of a drug overdose.
- 12/1/2022
- TV Insider
Click here to read the full article.
The NYPD identified a body found in the Bronx as Green Book actor Frank Vallelonga Jr., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The actor, who was 60, portrayed a relative of Viggo Mortensen’s bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga. In real life, he was the son of the bouncer portrayed in the film.
The police found Vallelonga Jr., unconscious and unresponsive but with no observable trauma, early Monday morning on the ground outside of the address of a sheet-metal factory.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death, but someone has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse.
Vallelonga Jr.’s manager, Melissa Prophet, also confirmed his death to THR.
His other recent credits include crime film The Birthday Cake (2021) that starred Val Kilmer and Ewan McGregor and a 2018 episode of CBS’ The Neighborhood.
The NYPD identified a body found in the Bronx as Green Book actor Frank Vallelonga Jr., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The actor, who was 60, portrayed a relative of Viggo Mortensen’s bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga. In real life, he was the son of the bouncer portrayed in the film.
The police found Vallelonga Jr., unconscious and unresponsive but with no observable trauma, early Monday morning on the ground outside of the address of a sheet-metal factory.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death, but someone has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse.
Vallelonga Jr.’s manager, Melissa Prophet, also confirmed his death to THR.
His other recent credits include crime film The Birthday Cake (2021) that starred Val Kilmer and Ewan McGregor and a 2018 episode of CBS’ The Neighborhood.
- 12/1/2022
- by Abbey White and Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Green Book” actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. has died at the age of 60, Variety has confirmed.
The NYPD responded to a call early Monday morning just before 4 a.m. in the Bronx and found Vallelonga Jr. laying unconscious and unresponsive on the ground. Following the arrival of Ems to the location, the actor was pronounced dead on the scene. The NYPD also confirmed the arrest of a 35-year-old man named Steven Smith on charges of concealment of a human corpse.
Vallelonga Jr. was the son of late actor Tony Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga. Before Lip died in 2013, he consistently took on roles as mafia crime bosses throughout his acting career, notably portraying Carmine Lupertazzi in HBO’s “The Sopranos.” Lip also portrayed mobster Philip Giaccone in “Donnie Brasco” and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo in “Goodfellas,” in addition to playing a small role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.
The NYPD responded to a call early Monday morning just before 4 a.m. in the Bronx and found Vallelonga Jr. laying unconscious and unresponsive on the ground. Following the arrival of Ems to the location, the actor was pronounced dead on the scene. The NYPD also confirmed the arrest of a 35-year-old man named Steven Smith on charges of concealment of a human corpse.
Vallelonga Jr. was the son of late actor Tony Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga. Before Lip died in 2013, he consistently took on roles as mafia crime bosses throughout his acting career, notably portraying Carmine Lupertazzi in HBO’s “The Sopranos.” Lip also portrayed mobster Philip Giaccone in “Donnie Brasco” and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo in “Goodfellas,” in addition to playing a small role in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.
- 12/1/2022
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
“Green Book” actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. has been found dead at age 60 in New York City.
The late star, who played Rudy Vallelonga in the Oscar-winning film, was found in the Bronx after the NYPD responded to a call about an unconscious man in the street, TMZ reported.
Police have said the Medical Examiner will now determine an official cause of death, with them confirming a suspect had been charged with dumping the actor’s body.
TMZ also stated cops said the suspect told them that Vallelonga Jr. had overdosed.
Read More: Jake Flint, Country Singer, Dead At 37 Just Hours After Marrying Wife Brenda
The person in question was said to have dumped the actor’s body from a car owned by his brother, Nick Vallelonga; the co-writer and producer of “Green Book”. However, Nick insisted the suspect did not have permission or authority to drive his vehicle.
Vallelonga Jr.
The late star, who played Rudy Vallelonga in the Oscar-winning film, was found in the Bronx after the NYPD responded to a call about an unconscious man in the street, TMZ reported.
Police have said the Medical Examiner will now determine an official cause of death, with them confirming a suspect had been charged with dumping the actor’s body.
TMZ also stated cops said the suspect told them that Vallelonga Jr. had overdosed.
Read More: Jake Flint, Country Singer, Dead At 37 Just Hours After Marrying Wife Brenda
The person in question was said to have dumped the actor’s body from a car owned by his brother, Nick Vallelonga; the co-writer and producer of “Green Book”. However, Nick insisted the suspect did not have permission or authority to drive his vehicle.
Vallelonga Jr.
- 12/1/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Frank Vallelonga Jr., an actor who appeared in “Green Book” and “The Sopranos,” died Monday of unknown causes in the Bronx, New York, the NYPD confirmed to TheWrap. He was 60.
Police responded to a 3:50 a.m. call reporting that a body had been dumped outside of a factory near 1243 Oak Point Ave. The man, who was later identified as Vallelonga Jr., was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene. No obvious signs of trauma were observed on the body, said a spokesperson for the NYPD.
Steven Smith, 35, has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse. According to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the investigation is ongoing.
Vallelonga Jr. is the son of the real-life bouncer and actor Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, who Viggo Mortenson portrayed in the 2018 Best Picture winner “Green Book.” Vallelonga Jr. played his uncle Rudy Vallelonga in...
Police responded to a 3:50 a.m. call reporting that a body had been dumped outside of a factory near 1243 Oak Point Ave. The man, who was later identified as Vallelonga Jr., was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene. No obvious signs of trauma were observed on the body, said a spokesperson for the NYPD.
Steven Smith, 35, has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse. According to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the investigation is ongoing.
Vallelonga Jr. is the son of the real-life bouncer and actor Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, who Viggo Mortenson portrayed in the 2018 Best Picture winner “Green Book.” Vallelonga Jr. played his uncle Rudy Vallelonga in...
- 12/1/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Exclusive: George Gallo (The Comeback Trail) is teaming with Green Book Oscar winner Nick Vallelonga to produce The Accidental Gangster, a new thriller based on reformed gangster Orlando ‘Ori’ Spado’s bestselling autobiography of the same name. The former will also direct from a script by the author’s son Anthony Spado and David Steenhoek.
Prior to leaving the mob, Ori Spado was an associate of NYC Colombo Crime Family underboss Sonny Franzese, as well as Los Angeles Family underboss Jimmy Caci, and Joey Pyle, who led the London-based criminal organization known as The Firm. He worked as a fixer in both Hollywood and New York and went on to pull off numerous jobs and heists during his time with the mafia, after working for a time as an insurance salesman. In 1997, one particular FBI Agent told Spado, “I will see the day you are chained, shackled and put on...
Prior to leaving the mob, Ori Spado was an associate of NYC Colombo Crime Family underboss Sonny Franzese, as well as Los Angeles Family underboss Jimmy Caci, and Joey Pyle, who led the London-based criminal organization known as The Firm. He worked as a fixer in both Hollywood and New York and went on to pull off numerous jobs and heists during his time with the mafia, after working for a time as an insurance salesman. In 1997, one particular FBI Agent told Spado, “I will see the day you are chained, shackled and put on...
- 10/20/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
When Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” was announced for the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, there was never much question when it would screen. Even though the prestige slots at TIFF are on the first weekend, “Beer Run” would be a Tuesday night film, because that’s the same stealth slot that Farrelly’s precious film, “Green Book,” took when it premiered at the festival five years ago on its way to winning the TIFF audience award and the Oscar for Best Picture.
And “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” which had its debut at Roy Thomson Hall on Tuesday, is like Farrelly’s last film in more ways than the choice of venue and day. The director once known for slapstick comedies like “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary” seems to have a new specialty: movies based on stranger-than-fiction true stories about working class, salt-of-the-earth guys...
And “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” which had its debut at Roy Thomson Hall on Tuesday, is like Farrelly’s last film in more ways than the choice of venue and day. The director once known for slapstick comedies like “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary” seems to have a new specialty: movies based on stranger-than-fiction true stories about working class, salt-of-the-earth guys...
- 9/14/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Exclusive: For the first time since launching eventual Best Picture Oscar winner Green Book five years ago, writer-director Peter Farrelly returns to the Toronto Film Festival with another drama built around an obscure and difficult to be believed but fact-based road trip set in the turbulent 1960s.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the story of Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron), a patriotic longshoreman from New York who in the late ’60s is a gung ho supporter of the Vietnam War effort, and who essentially embraces a suggestion by the bartender at their local watering hole (an unrecognizable Bill Murray) to travel by boat to the jungles of ‘Nam to track down soldiers from the neighborhood and bring them cans of beer and show the boys they haven’t been forgotten back home. This harebrained tour becomes a wakeup call to Donohue about the terrifying things that are really going on over there.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the story of Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron), a patriotic longshoreman from New York who in the late ’60s is a gung ho supporter of the Vietnam War effort, and who essentially embraces a suggestion by the bartender at their local watering hole (an unrecognizable Bill Murray) to travel by boat to the jungles of ‘Nam to track down soldiers from the neighborhood and bring them cans of beer and show the boys they haven’t been forgotten back home. This harebrained tour becomes a wakeup call to Donohue about the terrifying things that are really going on over there.
- 9/9/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar-winning screenwriters Bobby Moresco (Crash) and Nick Vallelonga (Green Book) have partnered with Midnight Run scribe George Gallo and John Gotti Jr. to develop the series Betrayal examining John Gotti and the Fall of La Cosa Notra.
The New York gangster—otherwise known as the Teflon Don, the Dapper Don—was a Caesar, an Emperor… a King. His flamboyant lifestyle and frequent public trials as the head of the Gambino crime family, which controlled New York’s largest organized-crime syndicates, made him not only a prominent figure in the 1980s and ’90s, but also one of the most well-known organized crime bosses in American history. Gotti’s rise from a loyal soldier to Boss of Bosses, and ultimately to his sentencing to life imprisonment after being betrayed by his underboss, Sammy Gravano, is legendary.
The story being packaged as a limited series will differ from past incarnations of Gotti...
The New York gangster—otherwise known as the Teflon Don, the Dapper Don—was a Caesar, an Emperor… a King. His flamboyant lifestyle and frequent public trials as the head of the Gambino crime family, which controlled New York’s largest organized-crime syndicates, made him not only a prominent figure in the 1980s and ’90s, but also one of the most well-known organized crime bosses in American history. Gotti’s rise from a loyal soldier to Boss of Bosses, and ultimately to his sentencing to life imprisonment after being betrayed by his underboss, Sammy Gravano, is legendary.
The story being packaged as a limited series will differ from past incarnations of Gotti...
- 7/29/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
As society evolves, moments in films that were once beloved can start to sour in history’s proverbial rear-view mirror. When Sandy (Olivia Newton John) revamps her entire look and personality to please her boyfriend Danny (John Travolta) at the end of Grease (1978), for example. Or when the cartoon crows in Disney’s animated classic Dumbo are literally called “The Jim Crows”.
Even plenty of Academy Award-winning movies have not aged particularly well. As the 94th Academy Awards approach this Sunday (27 March), here are 10 Oscar-winning films that are problematic in 2021.
Green Book (2018)
When Green Book, which won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, arrived in cinemas a few years back, it quickly became a divisive topic of conversation. The picture, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, enjoyed early success with audiences and sailed through awards season, but critics lambasted it as being shortsighted in its depiction of race relations.
Even plenty of Academy Award-winning movies have not aged particularly well. As the 94th Academy Awards approach this Sunday (27 March), here are 10 Oscar-winning films that are problematic in 2021.
Green Book (2018)
When Green Book, which won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards, arrived in cinemas a few years back, it quickly became a divisive topic of conversation. The picture, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, enjoyed early success with audiences and sailed through awards season, but critics lambasted it as being shortsighted in its depiction of race relations.
- 3/27/2022
- by Rachel Brodsky
- The Independent - Film
In the Lord of the Rings star’s powerful debut as a director, Lance Henriksen plays a homophobic father compelled to move in with his gay son
Viggo Mortensen is a formidable creative presence in the movies: taking on complex work as an actor with directors such as David Cronenberg and Lisandro Alonso, investing the star capital he earned with his turn as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and doing a workmanlike job as wise-guy driver Tony Lip cured of his picturesque 1960s racism in the egregious Oscar-winner Green Book.
Now he has written and directed his first movie, and it’s a really valuable work, beautifully edited and shot, with a wonderful performance by the veteran actor Lance Henriksen: a sombre, clear-eyed look at the bitter endgame of dementia. Mortensen takes a determined walk across the hot coals of family pain; the drama shows how the condition,...
Viggo Mortensen is a formidable creative presence in the movies: taking on complex work as an actor with directors such as David Cronenberg and Lisandro Alonso, investing the star capital he earned with his turn as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and doing a workmanlike job as wise-guy driver Tony Lip cured of his picturesque 1960s racism in the egregious Oscar-winner Green Book.
Now he has written and directed his first movie, and it’s a really valuable work, beautifully edited and shot, with a wonderful performance by the veteran actor Lance Henriksen: a sombre, clear-eyed look at the bitter endgame of dementia. Mortensen takes a determined walk across the hot coals of family pain; the drama shows how the condition,...
- 12/3/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: The Pope of Greenwich Village is headed to the small screen.
Hawk Koch and Gene Kirkwood, producers of the 1984 film, have teamed with Oscar-winning writer Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), writer/director George Gallo (Midnight Run), and Oscar-nominated actor/writer/playwright Chazz Palminteri, (A Bronx Tale) to develop an eight-hour miniseries based on Vincent Patrick’s best-selling 1979 book The Pope of Greenwich Village and its 1984 feature adaptation.
The Pope of Greenwich Village film starred Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts and Daryl Hanna. It revolved about two cousins, Charlie and Paulie, played by Roberts and Rourke respectively, who unknowingly rob the mob and face dangerous consequences.
Vallelonga, Gallo and Palminteri are all native New Yorkers, and Vallelonga has a personal connection to the film.
“My father, Tony Lip, who Green Book was about, played the role of Frankie Shy in the opening scene of the original film, and I was an extra in the stickball scene,...
Hawk Koch and Gene Kirkwood, producers of the 1984 film, have teamed with Oscar-winning writer Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), writer/director George Gallo (Midnight Run), and Oscar-nominated actor/writer/playwright Chazz Palminteri, (A Bronx Tale) to develop an eight-hour miniseries based on Vincent Patrick’s best-selling 1979 book The Pope of Greenwich Village and its 1984 feature adaptation.
The Pope of Greenwich Village film starred Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts and Daryl Hanna. It revolved about two cousins, Charlie and Paulie, played by Roberts and Rourke respectively, who unknowingly rob the mob and face dangerous consequences.
Vallelonga, Gallo and Palminteri are all native New Yorkers, and Vallelonga has a personal connection to the film.
“My father, Tony Lip, who Green Book was about, played the role of Frankie Shy in the opening scene of the original film, and I was an extra in the stickball scene,...
- 12/2/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Like many who care about racial justice – especially those of us who write about pop culture – one of my inclinations is to recommend movies and television shows as educational tools or emotional salves for a given moment. But while many of the lists I saw from Black folks feature the work of Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay, the 2011 white savior film The Help also started trending on Twitter.
Based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help lives in a category of film alongside Green Book, Crash, and Driving Miss Daisy. These movies exist to comfort white people like myself about race. But right now, when more white people in this country than ever before are confronting anti-Black racism and police brutality, white people need to fight our inclination to use media as escapism and a numbing agent. Instead we need media that challenges us and to sit in our discomfort,...
Based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help lives in a category of film alongside Green Book, Crash, and Driving Miss Daisy. These movies exist to comfort white people like myself about race. But right now, when more white people in this country than ever before are confronting anti-Black racism and police brutality, white people need to fight our inclination to use media as escapism and a numbing agent. Instead we need media that challenges us and to sit in our discomfort,...
- 6/9/2020
- by Delia Harrington
- Den of Geek
Martin Scorsese isn’t the only director who recently explored themes of regret at the end of a life of crime, but the elegant restraint of Scorsese’s “The Irishman” is nowhere to be found in Josh Trank’s “Capone.” Instead, the director has rebounded from a career low point (2015’s “Fantastic Four”) by whipping up a bloody and loopy re-creation of Al Capone’s final year, featuring another performance in which Tom Hardy laughs in the face of conventional notions of good v. bad acting.
“Knives Out” director Rian Johnson called “Capone” “bats— bonkers (in the best possible way)” on Twitter last month, and he’s certainly right about the first part of that phrase. Whether you buy “in the best possible way” will depend on your appetite for this particular kind of blood-soaked nuttiness.
You could think of “Capone” as “The Irishman” as reimagined by David Lynch, or...
“Knives Out” director Rian Johnson called “Capone” “bats— bonkers (in the best possible way)” on Twitter last month, and he’s certainly right about the first part of that phrase. Whether you buy “in the best possible way” will depend on your appetite for this particular kind of blood-soaked nuttiness.
You could think of “Capone” as “The Irishman” as reimagined by David Lynch, or...
- 5/11/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Whether you like arthouse, the multiplex or streaming on your smartphone, this quiz is for you
In January, a Us teenager in Utah caused a highway collision while driving blindfold – she was taking a challenge, inspired by which movie?
Eyes Wide Shut
Bird Box
The Blind Side
Crash
According to Sight and Sound magazine, what was the best film of 2019?
Frozen 2
Last Christmas
The Souvenir
Avengers Endgame
This year Barbara Broccoli dispelled rumours that the new Bond film would be named after a dysfunctional body part – an alias used by Bond’s arch nemesis Blofeld in Ian Fleming’s 1964 novel You Only Live Twice. What was the title?
Crackedelbow
Brokenleg
Shatterhand
Dodgyknee
The best film Oscar was won this year by Green Book, the real-life story of Frank Vallelonga, an Italian-American guy – nicknamed “Tony Lip” – who in the 1950s got a job driving an African-American jazz musician. The real Tony...
In January, a Us teenager in Utah caused a highway collision while driving blindfold – she was taking a challenge, inspired by which movie?
Eyes Wide Shut
Bird Box
The Blind Side
Crash
According to Sight and Sound magazine, what was the best film of 2019?
Frozen 2
Last Christmas
The Souvenir
Avengers Endgame
This year Barbara Broccoli dispelled rumours that the new Bond film would be named after a dysfunctional body part – an alias used by Bond’s arch nemesis Blofeld in Ian Fleming’s 1964 novel You Only Live Twice. What was the title?
Crackedelbow
Brokenleg
Shatterhand
Dodgyknee
The best film Oscar was won this year by Green Book, the real-life story of Frank Vallelonga, an Italian-American guy – nicknamed “Tony Lip” – who in the 1950s got a job driving an African-American jazz musician. The real Tony...
- 12/23/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Well-intentioned but at times insensitive, “Papi Chulo” is a complicated movie. It wants so badly to do the right thing when the situation is all wrong.
Written and directed by John Butler (“Handsome Devil”), “Papi Chulo” follows Sean (Matt Bomer), a popular Los Angeles weatherman, on the heels of an on-air mental breakdown. Forced to take time off from work, he struggles to cope with his loneliness after the loss of his relationship some months before. Looking to do something with the free time on his hands, he enlists the help of a day laborer, Ernesto, to help repaint the deck outside his home. Instead, Sean ends up more or less hiring Ernesto to be his friend.
Many of the jokes in “Papi Chulo” are rooted in this unequal-buddy comedy routine. Sean feels entitled to this friendship with a stranger he barely knows. His behavior comes across as inappropriate even...
Written and directed by John Butler (“Handsome Devil”), “Papi Chulo” follows Sean (Matt Bomer), a popular Los Angeles weatherman, on the heels of an on-air mental breakdown. Forced to take time off from work, he struggles to cope with his loneliness after the loss of his relationship some months before. Looking to do something with the free time on his hands, he enlists the help of a day laborer, Ernesto, to help repaint the deck outside his home. Instead, Sean ends up more or less hiring Ernesto to be his friend.
Many of the jokes in “Papi Chulo” are rooted in this unequal-buddy comedy routine. Sean feels entitled to this friendship with a stranger he barely knows. His behavior comes across as inappropriate even...
- 6/6/2019
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Two men from different worlds form an unexpected friendship in the incredibly moving film Green Book, coming to Digital February 19, 2019 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand March 12, 2019 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. With exceptional filmmaker lineage, Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book is directed by Peter Farrelly, and stars 2019 Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen and 2019 Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali alongside Linda Cardellini. The critically acclaimed and “hugely entertaining” Green Book is the winner of three 2019 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Mahersala Ali and Best Original Screenplay.
Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray Combo Pack of The Green Book. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie starring Viggo Mortensen is. (mine’s A History Of Violence). It’s so easy!
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses.
Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray Combo Pack of The Green Book. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie starring Viggo Mortensen is. (mine’s A History Of Violence). It’s so easy!
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses.
- 3/12/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Two men from different worlds form an unexpected friendship in the incredibly moving film Green Book, coming to Digital February 19, 2019 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand March 12, 2019 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. With exceptional filmmaker lineage, Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book is directed by Peter Farrelly, and stars 2019 Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen and 2019 Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali alongside Linda Cardellini. The critically acclaimed and “hugely entertaining” Green Book is the winner of three 2019 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Mahersala Ali and Best Original Screenplay.
Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, star in Green Book, a film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class, and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line. When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist,...
Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, star in Green Book, a film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class, and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line. When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist,...
- 3/3/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Green Book, starring Mahershala Ali as musical prodigy Dr. Don Shirley and Viggo Mortensen as bouncer-turned-actor Frank Anthony Vallelonga aka Tony Lip, just won Hollywood’s biggest honor. But there are many moviegoers out there who are less than satisfied with Hollywood’s love affair with the film. While Green Book has received support for being an […]
The post The ‘Green Book’ Controversy Explained: A Tour of Hollywood’s Long History of Mishandling Black Stories appeared first on /Film.
The post The ‘Green Book’ Controversy Explained: A Tour of Hollywood’s Long History of Mishandling Black Stories appeared first on /Film.
- 2/27/2019
- by Monique Jones
- Slash Film
Chadwick Boseman is the latest star to have a viral moment from Sunday’s 91st annual Academy Awards.
The 41-year-old actor — who led Black Panther, one of the films competing for Best Picture — was caught on camera turning his head to make eye contact with his costar Michael B. Jordan, just moments after Green Book was announced as the winner of the Oscar’s top prize.
Video of the glance was first captured by Twitter user @_MarcusD3_ and shared quickly after the ceremony ended. It was then picked up and spread by legions of fans frustrated by Green Book‘s win,...
The 41-year-old actor — who led Black Panther, one of the films competing for Best Picture — was caught on camera turning his head to make eye contact with his costar Michael B. Jordan, just moments after Green Book was announced as the winner of the Oscar’s top prize.
Video of the glance was first captured by Twitter user @_MarcusD3_ and shared quickly after the ceremony ended. It was then picked up and spread by legions of fans frustrated by Green Book‘s win,...
- 2/27/2019
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
At this year’s Oscars, “Green Book” pulled off a shocking upset when it won Best Picture along with two other awards: Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) and Best Original Screenplay. It also ended up becoming the fifth film in Oscar history to win the top prize without a directing nomination, following in the footsteps of “Wings” (1927), “Grand Hotel” (1932), “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989) and “Argo” (2012). Speaking of “Driving Miss Daisy,” the results of this year’s ceremony feel very reminiscent to 1989.
SEENeedless to say, Spike Lee was not happy about ‘Green Book’ winning the Best Picture Oscar: ‘The ref made a bad call’
“Green Book” tells the true story of Italian-American bouncer Frank Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), also known as “Tony Lip,” who searches for new employment after his nightclub closes for renovations. He eventually lands an interview to drive for famed African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (Ali), and the...
SEENeedless to say, Spike Lee was not happy about ‘Green Book’ winning the Best Picture Oscar: ‘The ref made a bad call’
“Green Book” tells the true story of Italian-American bouncer Frank Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), also known as “Tony Lip,” who searches for new employment after his nightclub closes for renovations. He eventually lands an interview to drive for famed African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (Ali), and the...
- 2/26/2019
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
History was made over and over again at the 2019 Oscars (check out the complete list of winners here). “Black Panther” champs Ruth E. Carter (Best Costume Design) and Hannah Beachler (Best Production Design) became the first black winners in their respective categories. “Roma” became the first Mexican winner for Best Foreign Language Film. The directors of “Free Solo” and “Bao” joined a short list of Asian filmmakers to win Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Short, respectively. Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), the son of Egyptian immigrants, was the first Best Actor winner in history of Arab descent.
… And then “Green Book” won Best Picture.
SEENeedless to say, Spike Lee was not happy about ‘Green Book’ winning the Best Picture Oscar: ‘The ref made a bad call’
How will that controversial ending affect how this year’s historic awards are remembered as a whole? Honestly, it feels sometimes like the Oscars have a split personality.
… And then “Green Book” won Best Picture.
SEENeedless to say, Spike Lee was not happy about ‘Green Book’ winning the Best Picture Oscar: ‘The ref made a bad call’
How will that controversial ending affect how this year’s historic awards are remembered as a whole? Honestly, it feels sometimes like the Oscars have a split personality.
- 2/25/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Oscar winner Nick Vallelonga says he had a reason for not consulting the late Dr. Don Shirley’s family while telling his story in Green Book.
The film, which tells the story of Shirley — the real-life African-American pianist, who recruited Italian-American Tony Lip (Vallelonga’s father) to be his driver as he embarked on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962 — closed out the Oscars Sunday night with its third win.
After their big moment on stage, the writers (Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie and Vallelonga) made their way to the press room where Vallelonga, who shared the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay,...
The film, which tells the story of Shirley — the real-life African-American pianist, who recruited Italian-American Tony Lip (Vallelonga’s father) to be his driver as he embarked on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962 — closed out the Oscars Sunday night with its third win.
After their big moment on stage, the writers (Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie and Vallelonga) made their way to the press room where Vallelonga, who shared the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay,...
- 2/25/2019
- by Ale Russian, Brianne Tracy
- PEOPLE.com
Green Book took home the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture — and some viewers are not happy about it.
The film, which tells the story of the late Dr. Don Shirley — the real-life African-American pianist, who recruited Italian-American Tony Lip to be his driver as he embarked on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962 — closed out the Oscars Sunday night with its third win, prompting a number of social media users to express their dissatisfaction on Twitter.
The film also won Best Original Screenplay, and Mahershala Ali scored a trophy for Best Supporting Actor.
“Remember when Green Book won Best Picture?...
The film, which tells the story of the late Dr. Don Shirley — the real-life African-American pianist, who recruited Italian-American Tony Lip to be his driver as he embarked on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962 — closed out the Oscars Sunday night with its third win, prompting a number of social media users to express their dissatisfaction on Twitter.
The film also won Best Original Screenplay, and Mahershala Ali scored a trophy for Best Supporting Actor.
“Remember when Green Book won Best Picture?...
- 2/25/2019
- by Robyn Merrett
- PEOPLE.com
Spike Lee is not holding back on his thoughts about Sunday’s Best Picture winner.
After Green Book picked up the Best Picture trophy during the final award of the 2019 Academy Awards in which his film was also nominated, Lee was far from thrilled for the true-life drama and immediately let his anger show.
Several outlets, including Deadline and the Associated Press, said that as soon as Green Book was announced, Lee stood up and angrily stormed towards the back of the Kodak Theater.
The BlacKkKlansman director, 61, was then seen “intensely” speaking to Jordan Peele.
Later in the evening, after...
After Green Book picked up the Best Picture trophy during the final award of the 2019 Academy Awards in which his film was also nominated, Lee was far from thrilled for the true-life drama and immediately let his anger show.
Several outlets, including Deadline and the Associated Press, said that as soon as Green Book was announced, Lee stood up and angrily stormed towards the back of the Kodak Theater.
The BlacKkKlansman director, 61, was then seen “intensely” speaking to Jordan Peele.
Later in the evening, after...
- 2/25/2019
- by Joelle Goldstein, Brianne Tracy
- PEOPLE.com
Green Book is going home golden.
In a surprise victory at the very end of Sunday night’s Oscars, the true-life drama picked up the Best Picture trophy after starting awards season as one of the favorites at the Toronto International Film Festival in September — and then facing a series of controversies, including criticism from the family of one of its subjects.
Star Mahershala Ali also took home Best Supporting Actor during the ceremony and the film won for Best Original Screenplay, though Ali’s costar Viggo Mortensen lost out on Best Actor to Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) earlier in the show.
In a surprise victory at the very end of Sunday night’s Oscars, the true-life drama picked up the Best Picture trophy after starting awards season as one of the favorites at the Toronto International Film Festival in September — and then facing a series of controversies, including criticism from the family of one of its subjects.
Star Mahershala Ali also took home Best Supporting Actor during the ceremony and the film won for Best Original Screenplay, though Ali’s costar Viggo Mortensen lost out on Best Actor to Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) earlier in the show.
- 2/25/2019
- by Ale Russian
- PEOPLE.com
The feelgood comedy drama was a surprise big winner, while Olivia Colman and Rami Malek took home top acting honours
Oscars 2019 verdict: lovely surprises can’t compensate for shock horrors
Green Book has been named best picture in a surprise victory over Roma, during an Oscars ceremony that lacked a host but was filled with diversity and historic wins.
The feelgood comedy drama, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen and directed by Peter Farrelly, had been dogged by problems during awards season, and some people have questioned the veracity of its supposed true story, about the friendship between pianist Don Shirley and his chauffeur Tony Lip.
Oscars 2019 verdict: lovely surprises can’t compensate for shock horrors
Green Book has been named best picture in a surprise victory over Roma, during an Oscars ceremony that lacked a host but was filled with diversity and historic wins.
The feelgood comedy drama, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen and directed by Peter Farrelly, had been dogged by problems during awards season, and some people have questioned the veracity of its supposed true story, about the friendship between pianist Don Shirley and his chauffeur Tony Lip.
- 2/25/2019
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
“Green Book” took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards Sunday night, in a controversial win for a movie that has been called a white savior narrative and been accused of stretching the facts of the true story on which it is based. Accepting the award were Nick Vallelonga, producer Brian Currie, and director Peter Farrelly. Vallelonga is the son of Tony “Lip” Vallelonga, whose story the film dramatizes.
“They say if you wanna go somewhere fast, go alone, if you wanna go far, go together,” Farrelly said accepting the award. “Dad, we did it,” added Vallelonga.
Set during a music tour through the Jim Crow era South, “Green Book” charts the friendship between African-American classical pianist Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his Italian-American driver, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen). Despite their considerable differences, the two men find common ground in their love of music and a shared self-reliance,...
“They say if you wanna go somewhere fast, go alone, if you wanna go far, go together,” Farrelly said accepting the award. “Dad, we did it,” added Vallelonga.
Set during a music tour through the Jim Crow era South, “Green Book” charts the friendship between African-American classical pianist Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his Italian-American driver, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen). Despite their considerable differences, the two men find common ground in their love of music and a shared self-reliance,...
- 2/25/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Mahershala Ali is taking home the iconic gold statue!
The 45-year-old actor won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Green Book on Sunday night.
The star was up against Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman; Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born; Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?; and Sam Rockwell, Vice.
“The Academy, thank you. I want to thank Doctor Shirley, for just trying to capture his essence,” he said in his speech. “Trying to capture Dr. Shirley’s essence pushed me to my ends and it’s the reflection of the person he was and the life he lived.
The 45-year-old actor won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Green Book on Sunday night.
The star was up against Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman; Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born; Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?; and Sam Rockwell, Vice.
“The Academy, thank you. I want to thank Doctor Shirley, for just trying to capture his essence,” he said in his speech. “Trying to capture Dr. Shirley’s essence pushed me to my ends and it’s the reflection of the person he was and the life he lived.
- 2/25/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Mahershala Ali has won the 2019 Academy Award for his supporting performance in Best Picture contender “Green Book.” Ali beat a competitive field of contenders that included Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”), Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”), Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”), and Sam Rockwell (“Vice”).
Read More: 2019 Oscar Predictions: 91st Academy Awards
This marks the actor’s second Oscar win in three years, after also picking up the trophy in the same category for his performance in director Barry Jenkins’ 2017 Best Picture winner “Moonlight.” Ali joins a short list of actors and actresses with two or more wins in acting categories. He also becomes only the second black actor with two Oscar wins in acting categories. Denzel Washington is the other.
Additionally, this year marks a repeat of the 2017 Oscars, when both supporting actor categories were won by black actors: Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight,” and Viola Davis for “Fences.
Read More: 2019 Oscar Predictions: 91st Academy Awards
This marks the actor’s second Oscar win in three years, after also picking up the trophy in the same category for his performance in director Barry Jenkins’ 2017 Best Picture winner “Moonlight.” Ali joins a short list of actors and actresses with two or more wins in acting categories. He also becomes only the second black actor with two Oscar wins in acting categories. Denzel Washington is the other.
Additionally, this year marks a repeat of the 2017 Oscars, when both supporting actor categories were won by black actors: Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight,” and Viola Davis for “Fences.
- 2/25/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Vinny Vella [Courtesy of Paul Stone/Su-City Pictures East, LLC]
Actor Vinny Vella has died. According to a post on Vella’s personal Facebook page made presumably by a family member, Vella passed away late Wednesday, February 20. He was 71. View the heartfelt Facebook post below:
“We are saddened to report that Vinny Vella has passed and I’m sure that no one more saddened than himself. Vinny loved life from his family to his friends and fans he was easily one of the funniest, endearing actors to have ever graced the screen. Vinny also had integrity and pride rarely seen. Arguably the fastest on the draw, king of the comebacks. His verbal jousting was legendary but many know Vinny for his favorite saying – ‘Who’s better than you?’ Well Vinny, I think we all can agree on the answer to that, it was you, it always was you! We miss you my boy!”
A New York City native,...
Actor Vinny Vella has died. According to a post on Vella’s personal Facebook page made presumably by a family member, Vella passed away late Wednesday, February 20. He was 71. View the heartfelt Facebook post below:
“We are saddened to report that Vinny Vella has passed and I’m sure that no one more saddened than himself. Vinny loved life from his family to his friends and fans he was easily one of the funniest, endearing actors to have ever graced the screen. Vinny also had integrity and pride rarely seen. Arguably the fastest on the draw, king of the comebacks. His verbal jousting was legendary but many know Vinny for his favorite saying – ‘Who’s better than you?’ Well Vinny, I think we all can agree on the answer to that, it was you, it always was you! We miss you my boy!”
A New York City native,...
- 2/21/2019
- by Matt Bishop
- Age of the Nerd
Viggo Mortensen changed himself completely to embody tough-talking Italian bouncer Tony Lip for his film Green Book.
In a People exclusive behind-the-scenes look, Mortensen’s portrayal of Lip caused awe in many of his colleagues. The film follows Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class African American pianist who embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South while accompanied by Lip, who he hires as his bodyguard.
“When we wrote this script, my first thought was Viggo Mortensen,” Peter Farrelly, who co-wrote the script and directed the film, said.
Mortensen’s costar Linda Cardellini, who plays Lip’s wife Dolores,...
In a People exclusive behind-the-scenes look, Mortensen’s portrayal of Lip caused awe in many of his colleagues. The film follows Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class African American pianist who embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South while accompanied by Lip, who he hires as his bodyguard.
“When we wrote this script, my first thought was Viggo Mortensen,” Peter Farrelly, who co-wrote the script and directed the film, said.
Mortensen’s costar Linda Cardellini, who plays Lip’s wife Dolores,...
- 2/20/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
There are plenty of pejoratives you can hurl at the Oscars — self-important, overlong, old-fashioned, out-of-touch — but in recent years, you can’t complain that they’ve lacked for drama. With the adoption of the preferential ballot in 2009, which asks Academy members to vote for Best Picture with a ranked list, the show’s biggest prize has become far more suspenseful, resulting in several splits between Director and Picture, and a few outright upsets, with Spotlight besting The Revenant and, memorably, Moonlight triumphing over La La Land. Last year, The Shape of Water,...
- 2/20/2019
- by Tim Grierson
- Rollingstone.com
No Best Picture contender has gotten more mud unfairly slung at it this Oscar season than Green Book, the Peter Farrelly-directed drama that earned Oscar nominations for both Mahershala Ali for playing virtuoso pianist Don Shirley, and Viggo Mortensen for playing Tony Lip, the Copacabana bouncer who drove him on a road trip of the Deep South during the Jim Crow segregation era. Because of the clear dirty tricks campaign waged against this Golden Globe-winning film — a final round of arrows were shot this week — Deadline is providing two glimpses of Green Book to Oscar voters who’ll make the ultimate decision. Since the late Robert Kennedy provides a pivotal moment in the film, I’ve interviewed his widow, Ethel Kennedy, and sons Robert Jr and Max, for their reaction to the movie. Their recollection of how Green Book brought back memories of Rfk’s bold efforts on the...
- 2/15/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Originally, Focus Features was set to make the Peter Farrelly-directed feature Green Book, but ultimately passed on the project.
Then Participant Media stepped up to finance the $23M dramedy about American pianist Don Shirley’s tour through 1960s American South, and the male-bonding that forms with his Italian American chauffeur, Tony Lip. But Participant had a distribution deal with Focus. That concerned Farrelly a bit because he knew Focus wasn’t wowed by the project.
Knowing Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks’ influence at Universal, Farrelly told us at a recent Awardsline screening for Green Book that he called his CAA agent Richard Lovett, “who is the greatest agent on the planet by the way; I’ve been with him my entire career. I knew he represents Spielberg.” He asked his rep “‘Any chance you can get this to Spielberg? I think he’s going to flip if he sees this.
Then Participant Media stepped up to finance the $23M dramedy about American pianist Don Shirley’s tour through 1960s American South, and the male-bonding that forms with his Italian American chauffeur, Tony Lip. But Participant had a distribution deal with Focus. That concerned Farrelly a bit because he knew Focus wasn’t wowed by the project.
Knowing Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks’ influence at Universal, Farrelly told us at a recent Awardsline screening for Green Book that he called his CAA agent Richard Lovett, “who is the greatest agent on the planet by the way; I’ve been with him my entire career. I knew he represents Spielberg.” He asked his rep “‘Any chance you can get this to Spielberg? I think he’s going to flip if he sees this.
- 2/15/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Our Oscar coverage continues. Here we overview the best acting and best directing award nominees.
For Part 1 of this year's Oscar Previews, click here.
Best Actor Nominees
Christian Bale - as Dick Cheney in Vice
Age: 45
Previously Best Known For:
Nolan Batman Trilogy
American Hustle
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2011 - Dicky Eklund in The Fighter
Nomination - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2014 - Irving Rosenfeld American Hustle
Nomination - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2016 - Michael Burry in The Big Short
Interesting Fact: If he plays an American character in a film, he will use an American accent in his interviews because he does not want to confuse the audience.
Bradley Cooper as Jack in A Star Is Born
Age: 44
Previously Best Known For:
American Sniper
The Hangover...
For Part 1 of this year's Oscar Previews, click here.
Best Actor Nominees
Christian Bale - as Dick Cheney in Vice
Age: 45
Previously Best Known For:
Nolan Batman Trilogy
American Hustle
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Winner - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2011 - Dicky Eklund in The Fighter
Nomination - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2014 - Irving Rosenfeld American Hustle
Nomination - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2016 - Michael Burry in The Big Short
Interesting Fact: If he plays an American character in a film, he will use an American accent in his interviews because he does not want to confuse the audience.
Bradley Cooper as Jack in A Star Is Born
Age: 44
Previously Best Known For:
American Sniper
The Hangover...
- 2/13/2019
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Every awards season is basically the same, but always includes a few unique exceptions. One of those is Universal-Participant’s “Green Book.” The film has won major prizes and yet no film has been more beaten up, online and in the mainstream media.
The bad news: Some awards rivals hold onto the old theory that mudslinging is a valid campaign tactic. The good news: Voters ignore all that noise and vote for what they like, so “Green Book” constantly bounces back. It’s a variation on the old joke that nobody likes this movie except the audience.
Another signs of its popularity: five Oscar nominations in key categories, including best picture, screenplay and editing, plus two nominations for the great actors, Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
Editor Patrick J. Don Vito says the film is “something special,” which doesn’t mean it was easy. One of the biggest editing challenges...
The bad news: Some awards rivals hold onto the old theory that mudslinging is a valid campaign tactic. The good news: Voters ignore all that noise and vote for what they like, so “Green Book” constantly bounces back. It’s a variation on the old joke that nobody likes this movie except the audience.
Another signs of its popularity: five Oscar nominations in key categories, including best picture, screenplay and editing, plus two nominations for the great actors, Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
Editor Patrick J. Don Vito says the film is “something special,” which doesn’t mean it was easy. One of the biggest editing challenges...
- 2/12/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
In bringing Tony Lip to life in Peter Farrelly's Green Book, Viggo Mortensen, 60, has had audiences wondering whether he has Italian ancestry himself. "I have had quite a few Italian-Americans ask me, 'Are you sure you're not Italian?'— which is the highest compliment I could receive for my work," he says. Nominated for his third Oscar, Mortensen is in the midst of prepping for his feature directorial debut, Falling, in Toronto.
Do you remember first meeting Mahershala Ali?
It was at the 2017 Film Independent Awards brunch in Los Angeles. We had a good conversation, probably ...
Do you remember first meeting Mahershala Ali?
It was at the 2017 Film Independent Awards brunch in Los Angeles. We had a good conversation, probably ...
- 2/12/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In bringing Tony Lip to life in Peter Farrelly's Green Book, Viggo Mortensen, 60, has had audiences wondering whether he has Italian ancestry himself. "I have had quite a few Italian-Americans ask me, 'Are you sure you're not Italian?'— which is the highest compliment I could receive for my work," he says. Nominated for his third Oscar, Mortensen is in the midst of prepping for his feature directorial debut, Falling, in Toronto.
Do you remember first meeting Mahershala Ali?
It was at the 2017 Film Independent Awards brunch in Los Angeles. We had a good conversation, probably ...
Do you remember first meeting Mahershala Ali?
It was at the 2017 Film Independent Awards brunch in Los Angeles. We had a good conversation, probably ...
- 2/12/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Mortensen and Ali in Green Book Photo: Courtesy of Toronto Film Festival Green Book star Viggo Mortensen has been nominated for an Oscar for the role of Tony Lip in Peter Farrelly's film, which relates how Lip's Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for classical pianist Don Shirley set to tour the southern States of the Us.
The film - which won the coveted People's Choice award at Toronto Film Festival last year, often an indicator of Oscar success - has had its fair share of controversy since its release in the States. The family of Shirley wrote a letter to the media condemning the film and there have also been problems for co-writer Nick Vallelonga, who was forced to apologise after anti-Muslim tweets he had posted about 9/11 resurfaced. Even Mortensen himself ran into trouble after using the n-word (in the context of trying to show how much progress has been made.
The film - which won the coveted People's Choice award at Toronto Film Festival last year, often an indicator of Oscar success - has had its fair share of controversy since its release in the States. The family of Shirley wrote a letter to the media condemning the film and there have also been problems for co-writer Nick Vallelonga, who was forced to apologise after anti-Muslim tweets he had posted about 9/11 resurfaced. Even Mortensen himself ran into trouble after using the n-word (in the context of trying to show how much progress has been made.
- 2/8/2019
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Usually, Oscar prognostication takes its cues from the guilds, as winners from the SAG, DGA, and PGA awards tend to provide a sense of films that have traction with the Academy. This year, however, that math isn’t as reliable.
Most years the awards tend to go to the same films. But this year, they’re all over the place. The Producers Guild, which is always more mainstream than the Academy, went for “Green Book”— but the Screen Actors Guild gave another popular film, “Black Panther,” its Ensemble Award, and the Directors Guild gave its top award to Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.”
We know that “Roma,” with 10 nominations, has wide appeal across the Academy branches, only missing Best Editing. Those nominations, unlike some of the other branches, went to the five films statistically most likely to win Best Picture: “BlacKkKlansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” and “Vice.”
But do...
Most years the awards tend to go to the same films. But this year, they’re all over the place. The Producers Guild, which is always more mainstream than the Academy, went for “Green Book”— but the Screen Actors Guild gave another popular film, “Black Panther,” its Ensemble Award, and the Directors Guild gave its top award to Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.”
We know that “Roma,” with 10 nominations, has wide appeal across the Academy branches, only missing Best Editing. Those nominations, unlike some of the other branches, went to the five films statistically most likely to win Best Picture: “BlacKkKlansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” and “Vice.”
But do...
- 2/6/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
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